War Flying in Macedonia

by Haupt Heydemarck, Claud W. Sykes (Translator)

Georg Wilhelm Heydemarck was an officer in the 47th Infantry Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War, in August 1914, and saw action in the Champagne region of France that same year. In 1915 he applied to join the Air Force as an observer, and received training as an observer, at Gotha and Grossenhain. On completion of his training, he was transferred to Flieger Abteilung 17, based at Attigny in France. He served with this squadron until December 1916, at which time he was promoted and transferred to Macedonia, there to take command of Flieger Abteilung 30, stationed at Drama on the Struma Front. After contracting malaria, he was transferred once more to the Armee-Oberkommando (AOK) staff, in September 1917. Between the wars, he wrote a number of books about his service in the air force during World War One, three of which were translated into English. This is the third of those translations - War Flying In Macedonia.

196 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Upon joining the Imperial German Air Service, Georg Wilhelm Haupt-Heydemarck trained as an observer and served on the Western Front with Feld Flieger Abteilung 17 (FFA 17), a 2-seater observation squadron, flying numerous combat missions against the French during 1915 and 1916.

Haupt-Heydemarck completed his service in FFA 17 in December 1916 and transferred to FFA 30 in Macedonia. He arrived in Macedonia in February 1917 and was made acting leader of the unit. His subsequent war record is unknown, except that Haupt-Heydemarck did survive the war.

[NOTE! Haupt-Heydemarck is No. 9 in the photo, seated in the first row.]

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lasting value of "WAR FLYING IN MACEDONIA" is its telling --- through the eyes of a German officer and aviator (Haupt-Heydemarck) --- of the experiences of a German reconnaissance/bomber squadron on the Salonika front during 1917 and 1918. Illustrations and original photographs also convey the excitement and grim reality of life under wartime conditions in a harsh landscape with climate to match alongside an interesting array of allies (i.e. the Bulgarians and the Ottoman Turks).

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This marks the final installment in Heydemarck's translated trilogy of war in the air. Following the death of his pilot and friend "Take" Engemann in 1916 on the Western Front, which concluded Double-Decker C.666, Heydemarck was transferred to the Macedonian Front where he assumed command of a forward Staffel in Drama, Greece, which was distinguished by its leading ace, Lieutenant Rudolf von Eschwege. In War Flying in Macedonia, Heydemarck presents a number of anecdotes recounting his own adventures and those of others in his command as they bedeviled their English adversaries despite fielding an inferior number of aircraft. Much of the account is devoted to Eschwege's victories.
As I expected, this is a very well written, fresh account of hair-raising episodes, well illustrated with numerous photographs taken from the air and from the ground. Fighting the enemy or being bombed while suffering malaria at your aerodrome are enough, but think about having your forward-facing machine gun jam in the on position, become unsynchronized and shoot off your own propeller over enemy lines in mountainous territory. Of the three I prefer and would most highly recommend to other readers Double-Decker C.666 because of the development of the personal relationship between Engemann and Heydemarck, but this, too, is a gripping tale well told.